🌫️
Reduced smell
Scents feel weaker than before, and food aromas seem faint.
HYPOSMIAOLFACTION · TASTE CLINIC
If smell and taste
aren't coming back
We approach reduced smell, loss of smell, parosmia, phantosmia, and reduced taste by first distinguishing "whether the nose is blocked, whether the olfactory system has lost function, or whether it is a true taste problem"before treatment.
👃
Reduced smell · Hyposmia
Loss of smell · Anosmia
Distorted smell · Parosmia
Altered taste · Dysgeusia
WHEN TO VISIT
If you notice these changes,
the cause needs to be identified first
The single sentence "I can't smell" can hide several different causes. We look at when and how it started, any nasal disease, infections, medications, and injuries together.
🚫
Loss of smell
You can barely detect familiar scents such as coffee, perfume, or food.
ANOSMIA↯
Parosmia · Phantosmia
Familiar smells turn into burnt or rotten smells, or you smell something without any actual source.
PAROSMIA · PHANTOSMIA🍋
Reduced taste · flavor
Food tastes bland, or certain basic tastes are hard to detect.
TASTE · FLAVORCLINICAL PATHWAY
With smell, "classifying the cause" comes first
We decide on a treatment direction after distinguishing different pathways, such as airflow problems in the nasal cavity, post-infectious smell loss, head injury, medications or systemic disease, and neurological causes.
STEP 01
Checking how it began
We check when it started and whether there was a cold, COVID-19, injury, surgery, or a change in medication.
STEP 02
ENT evaluation
We first check for nasal causes that block the delivery of odors, such as rhinitis, sinusitis, or nasal polyps.
STEP 03
Distinguishing smell from taste
We distinguish whether it is a true taste abnormality or a loss of flavor due to reduced retronasal smell.
STEP 04
Individual treatment plan
Depending on the cause and course, we combine olfactory training, medication, follow-up, and selective treatment options.
DIFFERENTIAL
Simple nasal congestion and
olfactory system problems are different
Even with the same reduced smell, a different cause means a different approach.
1
Rhinitis · Sinusitis · Nasal polypsWe check for conductive causes in which odor molecules cannot reach the olfactory epithelium.
2
Post-infectious smell lossWe evaluate cases in which smell has not recovered after a cold or COVID-19 even though the nasal congestion is gone.
3
Parosmia · PhantosmiaIt can also occur during the recovery of smell; we look at the symptom pattern and any accompanying neurological findings together.
4
Head injury · Surgery · MedicationsWe check events before and after onset and the timing of medication changes to evaluate their link to reduced smell.
5
Possible neurological or systemic diseaseIf the course is atypical or there are accompanying symptoms, we consider evaluation by other departments and further tests when needed.
TREATMENT OPTIONS
A step-by-step treatment strategy
to improve the chance of recovery
We do not apply the same procedure to every patient. We choose based on the cause, duration, presence of inflammation, and response to previous treatment.
FOUNDATION
Olfactory training
Non-drug rehabilitation through regular, repeated exposure to several kinds of scents. It is one of the core treatments considered for smell disorders in international consensus statements.
CAUSE-BASED
Medication by cause
If a treatable cause such as nasal inflammation, allergy, or sinus disease is found, we treat that cause first. The use of steroids is judged individually based on indications and risks.
SELECTED CASES
PRP consultation for the olfactory area
An emerging treatment option that uses platelet concentrate obtained from your own blood. It is being studied for some long-lasting smell disorders and is reviewed selectively after assessing suitability.
About PRP · PRP for smell disorders is not yet a standard treatment recommended for all patients. Some randomized clinical trials have reported potential, but the results are not consistent, so thorough explanation and careful patient selection are needed.
SMELL ≠ TASTE
"I can't taste anything"
may actually be a smell problem
👅 True taste
The sense of basic tastes detected by the tongue, such as sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami.
👃 Flavor
A sense created when aromas travel to the back of the nose as you chew. When smell decreases, it can feel as if the whole "taste" of food has disappeared.
FAQ · GEO
Questions smell and taste patients
ask most often
If my sense of smell hasn't come back after a cold or COVID-19, when should I see a doctor?
If reduced smell persists or affects eating or daily safety, such as detecting gas or smoke, we recommend an evaluation. In particular, if smell does not return even without nasal congestion, causes other than simple rhinitis need to be considered.
Are reduced smell and reduced taste the same problem?
No. Because much of the flavor of food depends on smell, when smell declines you may feel that "food has no taste" even if the taste on your tongue is normal.
How long should I do olfactory training?
Traditional olfactory training, in which scents from different families are sniffed twice a day for several months, has been widely studied. The duration and choice of scents can be adjusted according to the individual cause and course.
My smell comes back briefly when I take steroids. What does that mean?
A temporary response can occur when inflammation or swelling affects the delivery of odors, but this alone cannot confirm the cause. Repeated use of systemic steroids requires consideration of side effects, so evaluating the cause comes first.
Coffee or meat smells rotten to me. Is that parosmia?
When familiar smells are perceived as completely different, unpleasant smells, it is called parosmia. It can occur in post-infectious smell disorders, and we evaluate the symptom pattern together with other possible causes.
Will a PRP injection restore my sense of smell?
Some studies have reported possible improvement in long-lasting post-infectious smell disorders, but research is still accumulating and it is not a treatment guaranteed to work for all patients. We discuss it only in suitable cases after reviewing the course of previous treatment and the cause.
What if only one side of my nose smells strange, or I also have nosebleeds?
If symptoms are limited to one side and persistent, or come with repeated nosebleeds, severe headache, or neurological symptoms, a more thorough evaluation is needed to rule out causes other than a typical post-infectious smell disorder.
What should I be careful about in daily life if my sense of smell is reduced?
It may be hard to detect gas leaks, smoke, or spoiled food by smell. Use gas and smoke detectors, and check food expiration dates and storage conditions objectively instead of relying on smell.
EVIDENCE
Evidence-based explanations
We provide information on smell disorder care and new treatment options with reference to international consensus statements and clinical research.
Position paper on olfactory dysfunction: 2023 · Rhinology
International consensus statement on allergy and rhinology: Olfaction · Int Forum Allergy Rhinol
PRP for COVID-19-related olfactory loss: randomized controlled trial · Int Forum Allergy Rhinol
Topical PRP for olfactory dysfunction: randomized controlled trial · Int Forum Allergy Rhinol
SEOUL · JONGNO
Changes in smell and taste —
check the cause first
3F Lemeilleur Jongno Town, 19 Jongno, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Jonggak Stn Exit 1 · Gwanghwamun Stn Exit 4